Kalash (AK-74M)
The Kalash, also known as the AK (Avtomat Kalashnikova), or its full name, the AK-74 (Otherwise, an improved variant of the AK-47), a military-grade assault rifle pre-dating the nuclear war that drove humanity underground. As a pre-war weapon, it shows superior craftsmanship and manufacturing, and is highly prized for its ability to keep working in even the worst climatic conditions - a reputation that has carried through the great war. Considered by many to be among the finest weapons available in the underground, the AK-74's rugged reliability makes it a highly-prized weapon by many of the metro inhabitants. It can fire Military-Grade Ammunition (and benefits considerably from it). Bourbon offers Artyom his Kalash AK-74 as a reward for helping him get from Riga to Dry Station. His AK is the first in the game you can collect. The Kalash will return in Metro Last Light, but appears to have undergone some modifications,including a heat shield and under-barreled attachment (possibly a GP-25 grenade launcher). History The Kalashnikov family of assault rifles, developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov, and which includes over a dozen variations, most notably the AK-47 which has gained a notorious reputation for being such an effective weapon, and it is used all over the world in many countries. The weapon featured in the game however, is an AK-74M, a modernized version of the AK-74, which was a newer AK made to replace the aging AK-47 that had been in the military since the 50's. The true difference with the AK-74M is mostly the internal mechanisms being overhauled, and that the weapon was designed to take smaller rounds, the 5.45x39mm rounds, replacing the AK-47's 7.62x39mm rounds. The weapons design is known for it's durability, being able to withstand much punishment and still function properly. It has seen war most likely more than any other assault rifle in the world. It's durability is portrayed in the game, by surviving a total nuclear apocalypse and still functioning. Tactics and Use 400px|right The Kalash AK-74M is the most powerful of the automatic weapons in the game in terms of single-shot damage; it also has the second slowest fire rate of the group, and moderate accuracy, being quite accurate when fired in single shots or bursts, and becoming significantly less accurate when fired on full-auto. While it lacks the blistering fire rate of the Kalash 2012 or Bastard and lacks the stealthiness of the VSV, it makes up for this by having considerably higher single-round damage and being much more thrifty on ammo than the former two and much more powerful per-shot than the latter. It's widely available and easy-to-get early on; both aspects that appeal to those on a budget. Note, however, that the Kalash's general thriftiness on bullets and fairly middling stats are also its curse. Its accuracy is not superior to that of the VSV; it does not have the raw ammo-dumping power of the Bastard; and it does not have the nigh-perfect blend of speed and power that the Kalash 2012 does. It also, unlike the other three weapons, lacks anything resembling stealth; it is quite loud, and tends to alert every single enemy in the area when fired. Play to its strengths, if you intend to maximize its effectiveness, and stick with it over the other automatics. Note that enemies using it (and there's a lot of them doing so) are considerably more dangerous than those armed with Bastards; they will miss less often and do considerably more damage if they hit you - and they will hit you far more reliably at a distance. Be careful. Variants and obtaining There are several variants of it that can be found. All costs are in MGR (Military-Grade rounds), the cost depends on the value of the weapon you have in that slot. There are also several modified versions found in the bodies of Stalkers such as the AKS-74M and some that appear to be custom made. There even are some AK-47s and AKS-74s. These are easier to notice on the level Frontline as they are scattered all over the place. None of them can be acquired or used by Artyom. Trivia *No new AK-74Ms have been produced since the disaster of 2013, but there are a lot of Metro-made clones all over the place. *There are gun racks and crates in the rooms that Artyom and the Rangers search at the begining of Dungeon, most of the weapons on them are Metro-made Kalash rifles and Metro-made pipe grenades. This could indicate that D6 was still inhabited after the production of weapons began in the Metro (which would probably be after government control had collapsed), or it could simply be a designer's oversight. *Avtomat Kalashnikovas in real-life were made to withstand any environment, so the ones in-game might be meant to show that the AKs were, as it has been long-suspected, able to withstand much punishment and hardships. *The name "Kalash" is derived from Mikhail Kalashnikov, the designer of the most widely used rifle around the world: the AK-47, whose surname is used as the jargon term for AK-series assault rifles, and, rarely, RPK and PK machine guns. *Its awkward that the magazine exposes the cartridges. This would cause the cartridges to become dirty and cause them to occasionally not cycle into the rifle. *If left idle, Artyom will run his finger along the exposed cartridges in the magazine. *Many pre-war AK-74s can be found during the game, usually lying on the ground near corpses or in areas where there has been fighting (like at the Front Line), but none of these can be picked up by the player. Often they have their stock sawn off, but some can be found with a full stock and in seemingly perfect condition. *After the level Dry Station the Kalash is one of the most commonly seen weapon used by hostile humans. *There are lots of Kalash's seen on the ground throughout the game, especially on dead bodies, that have broken or detached stocks and cannot be aquired by the player. *In Metro Last Light it seems to have a type of grenade launcher under the barrel. *The Scope it uses is a PK-AV Scope. *The Kalash is usually overlooked for other weapons such as the VSV or the Kalash 2012. *Bourbon is the only person in the metro to call it an AK whereas everyone else calls it a Kalash. Images New_Metro8.jpg|Last Light Teaser New_Metro7.jpg|Last Light Teaser AK-74_Last_Light.jpg|Last Light Gameplay III, collimator sight is a SimpleX Reflex (BE 50001) from Bering Optics AK-74_Last_Light_Reloading.jpg|Ditto Category:Weapons Category:Metro 2033 Category:Metro Last Light Category:Real World